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Advanced Flexible CIGS Solar Cells Enhanced by Broadband Nanostructured Antireflection Coatings

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Abstract

Flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells on lightweight substrates can deliver high specific powers. Flexible lightweight CIGS solar cells are also primary candidates for building-integrated panels. In all applications, CIGS cells can greatly benefit from the application of broadband and wide-angle AR coating technology. The AR coatings can significantly improve the transmittance of light over the entire CIGS absorption band spectrum. Increased short-circuit current has been observed after integrating AR coated films onto baseline solar panels. NREL’s System Advisor Model (SAM) has predicted up to 14% higher annual power output on AR integrated vertical or building-integrated panels. The combination of lightweight flexible substrates and advanced device designs employing nanostructured optical coatings together have the potential to achieve flexible CIGS modules with enhanced efficiencies and specific power.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Magnolia Solar Inc., 251 Fuller Road, Albany, 12203, NY, USA

    Gopal G. Pethuraja, Roger E. Welser, John W. Zeller, Yash R. Puri & Ashok K. Sood

  2. Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC), College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Albany, 12203, NY, USA

    Gopal G. Pethuraja, Harry Efstathiadis & Pradeep Haldar

  3. NYSERDA, 17 Columbia Circle, Albany, 12203, NY, USA

    Jennifer L. Harvey

Authors
  1. Gopal G. Pethuraja
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  2. Roger E. Welser
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  3. John W. Zeller
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  4. Yash R. Puri
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  5. Ashok K. Sood
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  6. Harry Efstathiadis
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  7. Pradeep Haldar
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  8. Jennifer L. Harvey
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Pethuraja, G.G., Welser, R.E., Zeller, J.W. et al. Advanced Flexible CIGS Solar Cells Enhanced by Broadband Nanostructured Antireflection Coatings. MRS Online Proceedings Library 1771, 145–150 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2015.589

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/opl.2015.589

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